It’s
December. Merry Christmas and Happy New
Year.
You will find a Christmas and New
Year gift going with the HKMA News in this issue. It is
a diary and log book from the CME Committee tailor-made for doctors. It contains useful information like hospital
telephone numbers, and practical tips for safe practice from the Medical
Protection Society. Most importantly,
there is a schedule of CME activities for family doctors for the upcoming year,
featuring the newly introduced family medicine seminars on a Sunday of each
month. You will surely find these
seminars very interesting and useful. At
the end of 2009, you will also find yourself one big step nearer to get a
Certificate of Family Medicine.
It is
tradition to review events of the past year. The following are some major medically related
events that come across my mind:
Dr. KWONG Kwok Hay v. the Medical Council of Hong Kong
On January
24, the Court of Appeal handed down the judgment and confirmed that some of the
sections of the Code of Practice were against basic human rights. This had great influence on the dissemination
of information by doctors including advertising, and the investigation and
inquiry for professional misconduct by the Medical Council.
Health Care Reform
On March 13, The Food & Health
Bureau published a Healthcare
Reform Consultation Document entitled “Your Health Your Life” to seek public
views on the healthcare system and financing arrangements. The first stage of public consultation ended on
June 13. The community generally agreed that increased
resources should be best utilized to enhance healthcare services. However, there were contentious and skeptical
views about the supplementary financing options.
Sichuan Earthquake
On May 12, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake
occurred at 14:28 in Sichuan province of China: the “Great Sichuan Earthquake”. From official figures, 19,065 school children died, and there were more than 90,000
deaths or missing. The Hong Kong Medical Association and the Hong Kong Medical Association
Charitable Foundation Limited launched fundraising appeal without delay. Many doctors of different specialties also
volunteered to work at various sites.
2008 Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian Events
Hong Kong was
privileged to be a co-host city for the Beijing Olympics in August. Led by the
Director of Health, Dr. P Y Lam, who was also the Chief Medical Manager of the Equestrian
Event, a 2000-strong medical professional team fully supported the events. The medical team had set up contingency plans to deal with various
emergencies like infectious disease outbreaks, poisoning, mass casualties and
disasters.
2008 Legislative Council Election
On September
7, the election battle finally ended after months of campaigns and forums. Dr. K L LEUNG was elected for Medical Function
Constituency. He received 2,217 votes
for approximately 33%, defeating the other three nominees.
Melamine Scandal
On September 11, Mainland’s Sanlu brand of infant
formula was found to be contaminated with melamine. Screening reviewed over thousands of babies across the
country who developed
urinary problems after consuming tainted milk powder. On
September 20, the first case of renal disease associated with contaminated milk
product was reported in Hong Kong. On
October 11 & 12, affiliates from the Hong Kong Medical Association visited
Guangzhou and Jiangmen to examine the conditions and to study the management of children suffering from renal stones.
World Economic Turmoil
Starting with the federal takeover
of mortgage finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in early September, there
were unfavourable occurrences all around the world. Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy
protection and the mini-bonds issued were affected. Doctors themselves suffered financial loss and
some might be emotionally disturbed. At
the same time, we need to look after patients and addressed effects from the
economic turmoil.
Policy Address 2008-2009
The Policy Address 2008-2009 was
delivered by our Chief Executive on October 15. Under
the heading of “Healthcare Reform”, there were four main categories:
consultation, promoting the development of private healthcare, district medical
facilities and enhancing primary care services.
Influenza Vaccination Subsidy Scheme
On November 1, the Government launched the Influenza Vaccination
Subsidy Scheme. This was the first
implementation that the government roped in private doctors to help in
prevention measures of the community.
Avian Influenza
On December 8, the Food and Health
Bureau confirmed that up to 60 chickens died from H5N1 viral infection in one chicken farm in Yuen Long. Again, we will have no chicken for New Year.
My Big
Ten might not go with yours. Year 1
students might find their admission to the Medical School memorable. 2008 is the year for more than two hundred new
housemen and new registered doctors. Some
doctors passed part or all of their fellowship examinations. Some doctors got married. Some gave birth to children. And
sadly, some of us had to separate with our beloved ones.
The
biggest event for my signature bear is the co-organizing of the Certificate
Course in Family Medicine with the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The kick-off seminar will be held on January
18, 2009. Your diary will also serve as
a log book for recording your attendance of the family medicine core seminars
together with other CME activities.
(Source: HKMA News December 2008)
